NEWSWATCH by Thomas Griffith: Pop, What's a Populist?

There is no truth-in-labeling act to ensure that the press correctly describes
people in public life. Politicians used to be called by riper names
than they are now, but even in these more discreet days labels can
hurt. Gerald Ford is conservative, yet in his confirmation hearings
preferred to style himself conservative fiscally, but "moderate on
domestic issues."

Jimmy Carter? His acceptance speech, he said, "not inadvertently
shifted back and forth between liberal and conservative, but I think it
was uniformly populist in tone." Is he a populist? "I think
so." But what's a populist? "I'll let you define that."